The King of Bourbon Street (NOLA Nights, #1) by Thea de Salle

“I want her, she wants me. I’m willing to see where it goes even if it’s only two weeks of fun.”

The King of Bourbon Street was nothing short of a treat to read. It had me smiling, it had me laughing, and it had me happy from first to last page. Plus, this book was so damn sexy! And it had so much good representation that I’ll talk about lower in my review! But if you’re looking for a steamy romance read, that’s different than so much out there, I completely recommend picking this one up!

➽ Sol DuMont – 37 years old, hotel owner, who is still grieving the loss of his father, and is dealing with a divorce that is very fresh. He and his siblings split up responsibilities between all the different hotels, and Sol lives and works at the New Orleans location, where the community is still dealing with the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Sol is also into BDSM and is pan, bi, or some kind of MGA sexuality. Yet, finding a new romantic partner isn’t something that he plans to look for anytime soon.

“You know that cliché about the best bottoms being the best tops.”

➽ Arianna/Rain Barrington – 24 years old, plus sized, socialite, doing everything in her power to get her way out of a relationship she never wanted to be a part of. Yet, the only way she can think of to break it off is a sex tape. She is also the youngest of many siblings, but one of them, Vaughn, takes her on a much-needed vacation to get away from it all, and their mother. And what better place than a certain hotel in New Orleans?

“Pretty blond men with tattoos were a dime a dozen in New Orleans, but jiggly blond girls spinning in circles and peppering corgi muzzles with kisses? Those were a rare breed.”

And obviously you all know this is a romance book, so these two’s paths inevitably cross. But when they cross it’s like a match to a flint box, because it gets hot as hell. Like, seriously, the sex in this book is very explicit and very abundant! So, if that’s not something you’re into, please use caution or maybe skip this one. Also, trigger and content warnings for drug use, grief, talk of loss of a loved one, talk of past sexual assault (unwanted touching/groping), and abusive parenting.

But if you are looking for a sexy read, this story has so much good in it! First off, Rain and Sol both have such amazing friendships with their siblings. You all know I’m a sucker for a good brother and sister relationship always, because my little brother is my best friend. And Vaughn reminded me so damn much of my brother. I also loved Sol’s friendships not only with his best friend and accountant, Cylin, but with his ex-wife Maddy! Give me all the books about people having healthy friendships with their exes, please! Seriously, I loved this element so much of the book.

I know I touched on this a tiny bit, but Maddy and Sol had a pretty serious BDSM relationship, so now Sol is slowly and sweetly trying to see if that would be something that Rain would also like. And even though Sol fills out the role of Dom so very well, he emphasizes asking for consent. And seriously, fam, in 2018, nothing is sexier in an erotic read than consent! But seriously, some of the things Sol did in this book? That boy can get it. 11/10.

“You could stay for a longer visit if you’d like. Two weeks isn’t enough time to fully appreciate you.”

I also really appreciated two things about Rain that I feel aren’t in too many books that I read. One, is that she had a toxic mother who not only abused their relationship, but was manipulative and controlling. Not everyone comes from perfect parents, and I just loved how realistic this felt, even though they are all millionaires. And I also loved the heavy emphasis on Rain’s tidying up (maybe OCD). I, too, must have things tidy in my house or even while traveling. Seeing Rain have to clean the counters after she applies her make up, or pick up and fold her clothes because she won’t be able to be calm and focus, is something that I really relate to. I just really appreciated that on a personal level. Like, I literally get out of bed and have to make it immediately or my whole day will be ruined and I won’t be able to relax or focus on anything in or outside my home.

Now, I only have two “negative” things to say about this novel. The first being one that might be something a lot of people won’t like, and that’s that this story is rather instalove-y. I do think it will well done, but I will not deny that it is instalove, and I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea! The second, and most important thing, is the cover of this book. Now, I won’t hold this against the author or the story what-so-ever, but look at the cover of this book. You’d never guess that this book is about a sexy, proud, and happy plus sized girl. Rain’s weight is something that’s constantly brought up and celebrated, but the cover model is legitimately nowhere near plus sized. If this book had a plus sized model (like it should) I would have picked it up earlier!

But those are my only two complaints about this book. I truly think this is a must read for all romance readers out there. It’s so damn heartwarming, too! And Rain and her corgi, Freckles, legit had me laughing out loud in bed. Her inner monologue is honestly perfection and so damn realistic.

Overall, I just really loved this. From the body rep, to the sexuality rep, to the sex positivity, to the friendships, to the sibling relationships, to the New Orleans setting, to the sexiness; this book was easy to love! And I read the first chapter of The Queen of Dauphine Street, and it starts out with a w/w sex scene and I was so here for it. Give me all the pan and bi rep, please! Especially with BDSM and sex positivity being at the forefront! Like, it’s going to take all my willpower to not ignore my TBR and pick it up next!

Awh, thank you so much! I just read The Simple Wild by KA Tucker, and it doesn’t come out until August 7th, but it is honestly my favorite romance on 2018, so far. I also LOVED The Kiss Quotient, too! If you’re looking for “naughty” hahaha, anything by RK Lilley! Hehe! 💗xx